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Volvo to finally replace XC90 in 2014

There's not a whole lot of life left in the current Volvo XC90, but it seems a replacement is on the way. According to What Car?, Volvo will launch its new flagship crossover sometime in 2014, riding on an all new platform that will eventually underpin several models in the company's range.
According to Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson, this new architecture will eventually underpin the next-generation S60, V70, S80 and XC60, all of which will be getting mid-cycle enhancements over the next year. In speaking to What Car?, Samuelsson said that Volvo would not try to follow the paths set by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, instead focusing on "safety, elegant design and user-friendly functionality" for its next round of new cars.
The new XC90 will remain a seven-passenger vehicle and will be powered by a range of four-cylinder engines. Volvo will soon be dropping the five- and six-cylinder powertrains from its lineup.

Volvo-based Futuricum electric truck sets Guinness range record

There is a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled by an electric truck on a single charge. Swiss-based firm Futuricum built a Volvo-based delivery truck that drove for 683 miles on a closed test track. Although the prototype used to set the record has reportedly been in regular service on Swiss roads since early 2021, the record was set on a 1.7-mile high-speed oval operated by Continental near Hanover, Germany. The truck set off with a full charge and coasted to a stop 392 laps later; two drivers split their schedule in 4.5-hour shifts. Reaching the 683-mile threshold took about 23 hours, so the truck traveled at an average speed of 31 mph. Futuricum calls this a realistic average value for the truck's intended use — it's certainly not designed for long hauls. Whether it was empty or loaded with cargo wasn't specified, and we've reached out to the company for more details. What we do know is that the drivetrain was not modified, meaning the 680-horsepower truck is equipped with a 680-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. That's over six times bigger than the battery in a Porsche Taycan. Driving at a constant speed on a closed track is very different than delivering parcels in real-world conditions, which is what the Futuricum truck normally spends its days doing. In more normal use cases, the model (whose speed is electronically limited to about 55 mph) has a driving range of around 250 miles, according to the manufacturer. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo EX90 will be the XC90's all-electric successor

Clarification: Volvo reached out to clarify that the EX90 will be "our new flagship sold alongside XC90 for the foreseeable future" — more of a "successor" than a "replacement." The story has been updated to clarify.     Volvo has announced what we've long suspected. The XC90's successor as the Volvo flagship will be an all-electric crossover. Its name, as officially stated by Volvo, will be EX90, rather than the previously thought EXC90 or even more evocative Embla, and it will be sold alongside the XC90 for a time The primary philosophy of the new flagship, the company says, will be that old Volvo calling card: safety. The automaker promised in a statement that "standard safety in the EX90 will be beyond that of any Volvo before it." They are also reiterating that they're working to be a 100% crash-less and 100% carbon-neutral company. Volvo says the EX90 will cruise down the road with an "invisible shield" of cameras, radar and lidar sensors. They will work in unison to create a "360-degree real-time view of the world," a description that sounds like Tesla's not-quite FSD visualizations that show 3D representations of lanes and traffic movements on the center screen. Volvo says over time the software can reduce serious injury and fatal accidents by 20% and overall crash avoidance by 9%. The software is made to share data from the entire fleet similarly equipped Volvos, learning as it goes.  Inside, the car will monitor driver alertness with algorithms that track eye gaze and focus. Volvo claims the programming is "beyond what has been possible in a Volvo car to date." If the system detects distraction it will respond with increasing levels of assertiveness, starting with "softly nudging". However if the driver falls completely unconscious it's designed to safely pull over and call for help, in what sounds similar to Mazda's Co-Pilot feature or VW's Emergency Assist 2.0. Volvo has not revealed specs or the actual design of the EX90. We suspect it will be based on last year's Volvo Concept Recharge, though it could also look like the unearthed patent images from last month. The Volvo EX90 will be revealed in full on November 9.